“Earl is a consummate professional and one of the most competitive players I have ever been around,” said Olshey. “His leadership, command presence and ability to affect games with his defense are attributes we value highly, and specifically targeted in our search for players at his position.”

Watson (6-1, 200) spent the past three seasons playing for Utah, where he averaged 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 17.3 minutes in 48 games last season.

UCLA’s all-time leader in steals (235) and minutes played (4,371), Watson was selected by Seattle with the 40th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.